You and I, In A Distant Land
by Nyan Nyan Soup
Summary: Jim Cook is an explorer who loves to travel and discover new places. Hearing rumors of an ancient hidden kingdom in the jungle, Jim decides to be the first person to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, stumbling his way past the protective barrier of Exodius gets him into a lot more trouble than he expected. That is, until Prince Austin tries to help him out. (Orichalcumshipping)
1. Chapter 1

The sound of music, dancing, and gossip filled the tavern. It was a packed room and the music could barely manage to drown out all the voices that overlapped one another. Women in frilly dresses danced together to the rhythm and men sat at the bar and tables drinking away while telling stories of their travels. Every time one of them laughed it was louder than any other noise in the tavern.

As one man was about to push open the swinging doors, another drunken man stumbled out. He backed up a bit to let the drunkard by before continuing to make his way inside. He pushed his hat up a bit to get a better look around. He didn't mind as a few men at a table nearby stopped talking to turn and look at him. By the bandages covering his right eye and the crocodile strapped to his back, they had a sneaking suspicion they knew who he was.

He walked up to the bar and took a seat on an empty stool. The two men on either side of him looked at him with curious expressions, staring at the crocodile on his back. He also carried a rather hefty looking bag, likely filled with his personal supplies. He turned to the man on his left and flashed a rather cheerful smile, but the man just looked away from him.

The barkeep finally came up and stopped in front of him. "What can I get ya, sonny?"

"Just whatever the usual is." He happily requested.

The barkeep nodded and walked off to fetch him a drink.

"You new in town?" The man on his right asked.

"Yep! Just passin' by." He responded.

"You that… crocodile man?" The man on the left wondered before taking a swig of his drink.

His cheerful demeanor seemed to disappear just a bit at the question. He scratched the back of his head, ruffling his black hair that spiked outward.

"Heh, I guess no matter where I go my reputation precedes me. Yeah, that's me. Jim 'Crocodile' Cook, but just Jim'll do." He introduced him.

"Ya ain't here to cause no trouble now, are ya… Jim?" The right man questioned.

Jim stared at him for a moment before sighing. "It really does precede me… I swear, ya make one lil' mistake and suddenly everywhere ya go everyone thinks you're out to destroy civilization…"

The barkeep slammed Jim's drink down on the bar, startling the one eyed man for a moment.

"The crocodile man, eh? Ya best finish up your stay quick as possible and get outta town before trouble follows. Whether caused by you or the townsfolk, it's bound to be trouble either way." He warned.

Jim sighed again. "Yeah, yeah. I know, old man. I'm used to it by now."

Jim reached into his pocket and placed a few coins down on the bar. Scooping them up, the barkeep left to tend to the other patrons and Jim took a sip of his drink. A woman one seat down on his left leaned forward to see past the man between her and Jim.

"The crocodile man's in town, huh? I've always wanted to know why yer called that. I take it on account o' that pretty lady on yer back?" She assumed.

Jim looked at the woman and smiled, reaching a hand back to pat his companion.

"I see someone else has an eye for beauty. Her name's Karen and she's my family. Always has been and always will be." Jim explained.

Karen growled and wiggled around in her harness a bit, making the men on either side of Jim tense up. The woman simply let out an uproarious laughter.

"Well Karen seems like a mighty fine lady. I gotta say, this young fella seems decent enough. What's all the worry 'bout him causin' trouble?" She inquired.

"You haven't heard?" The man on Jim's right questioned in disbelief.

"Oh come now, gentlemen. We don't gotta talk about that. It really was just one lil' mistake." Jim nervously said, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"Now I really gotta hear it. If it was such a tiny mistake why're ya treated like a walkin' disaster zone?" She asked further.

Jim simply groaned and so the man on his left chose to tell what he knew. "This idiot over here is the reason the Mausoleum o' the Emperor was destroyed."

"T-the Mausoleum!? That was you!?" She replied in shock.

Jim tensed up and sighed. "It's not like it was on purpose! Seriously! Ugh, ya lean up against one statue without knowin' it wasn't sturdy and suddenly the whole thing falls down… 'Course then that creates a chain reaction and knocks into a pillar… which then collapses through the wall of the building… and the next thing ya know you're lookin' at a pile of rubble…"

The three older folks around him stared at Jim for a moment before bursting out laughing. Jim picked up his drink to take a sip and the man on his right patted him on the back surprisingly hard, making him almost choke.

"Alright, maybe ya ain't as much of a problem as folks think." The man on the right said.

"Yeah, maybe yer jus' accident prone! Hahaha!" The man on the left joked.

Jim was a bit annoyed at being the butt of the joke, but at least he wasn't getting chased out of the tavern like usual. It gave him a chance to relax rather than be on the lookout for anyone wary of him.

"Ah, well then, Jim, what brings ya 'round these parts?" The woman asked.

"Just tryin' make my way out east. I hear there's a cave out there with rumors of monsters inhabiting it. I'd like to get a record of 'em if it's true." Jim answered.

"Oh, recordin' but not huntin'?" The man on the left wondered.

Jim nodded. "If they're monsters it's important not to kill 'em. Even if we're scared of 'em, as long as they're left alone they shouldn't hurt anybody. They're just tryin' to survive just like us. Besides, I like discoverin' new things. I keep it all written down in my journal!"

"Ah, so ya one o' them explorer types! No wonder ya were out at the Mausoleum." The man on the right commented.

"Yep! I just wanna see it all! Find what no one else has and make sure the kiddos in the future get a chance to hear 'bout it." Jim said before taking another sip of his drink.

"Hm… and yet yer only passin' by here without wantin' to check out the jungle up north?" The woman questioned.

Jim turned to look at her, a hint of curiosity in his one blue eye.

"Ah, don't tell him 'bout that. He'll jus' get sent to his death like all the others." The man on the left advised.

"N-no, wait! What's goin' on with the jungle? What's out there?" Jim asked, sounding eager.

The woman and man beside her shared a look with each other. The sudden clink of a glass slamming on the bar between Jim and the man on his right made the four of them flinch. Looking over, they saw an old man with a long beard butted his way in between the group. A bit of beer from his glass poured onto the bar from when he slammed it down.

"Ya don't wanna be goin' out there, young man. Folks only get lost. Some say there's a whole undiscovered kingdom o' folks hidden in there, jus' keepin' to themselves. But there ain't nothin' but a cliff that leads off to nowhere. Ya gonna fall off an' that'll be the end o' ya! Poof! Never seen again. Jus' like all the rest o' 'em." The old man explained.

Jim simply stared at the old man before smiling. "Well that's exactly like the very rumor I love goin' after!"

"Yer kiddin', Jim. Ya jus' gotta be. Ya can't be dumb enough to go after listenin' to that!" The man on the right warned.

"Nope! Once I hear a rumor I always go for it 'til I prove it right or wrong. You've piqued my interest and now I got no choice but to check it out." Jim said.

"That's how yer gonna get yourself killed. Look at ya, ya already got jus' one eye left." The man on his left noted.

"Oh this?" Jim pointed to the bandages on his face. "That's just from an accident when I was lil'."

The man on the left put his arms up in defeat. "What can I tell ya, accident prone."

The woman laughed again. "Well I for one am eager to see what ya find if ya do come back, Jimmy boy."

"Pah! Foolish youngin's these days. Reckless! The whole lot o' 'em!" The old man loudly grumbled as he slowly walked away from the group, his drink spilling a bit as he carried it with him.

Jim just let out a nervous chuckle.

"Welp, it's yer funeral. We'll be sure to spread the good word o' the crocodile man so yer reputation won't stay so tarnished while ya can't defend yerself." The man on the right offered.

"Aw, ya don't need to do that! I'll be back eventually." Jim assured them.

"Heh, we'll hold one helluva celebration if ya manage to come back and discover the truth 'bout that mysterious kingdom." The woman happily said.

The other two men nodded in agreement and Jim couldn't help but smile. For once he was in a place that didn't want him gone. Or, he was at least surrounded by a couple people that didn't want him gone. His plans had changed a bit since he wouldn't be heading out east anymore. Not like anyone was expecting him out that way though so he could do whatever he wanted. He was rather glad he heard the rumor of the kingdom in the jungle. As much as he wanted encounter new creatures out east, there was something much more interesting about an entire kingdom. It had to be filled with its own people. How did they manage to keep themselves a secret for so long? And if the rumor wasn't true, then what was out there that caused the rumor to get started in the first place?

Jim stayed at the tavern with the two men and the woman for the rest of the afternoon and a bit into the night. They enjoyed a few more drinks, while Jim stuck with his one, as a way to celebrate Jim's life. They were rather certain he wouldn't be coming back, so they wanted him to go out with a bang. Jim appreciated it, but he had to admit he grew a bit worried over how certain they were that he would die. He wasn't worried about getting too in over his head though since he felt like he'd been through far worse than whatever the jungle may throw at him.

The other three eventually had to leave for the night, as well as most of the other patrons in the tavern. It was only Jim and a few other people left who preferred the quietness after the main crowd was gone. Jim's glass was empty so the barkeep came up with a rag in hand and took the glass off the table. Jim simply sat there with his head propped up by his hand.

"Heard yer conversation earlier." The barkeep said. "Ya really gonna do it?"

"Hm? Yeah, of course. Why? Ya also gonna tell me I shouldn't do it?" Jim questioned.

"Nah, jus' got a warnin' fer ya. After bein' behind this bar here for so many years, ya hear a lot o' things. An' lemme tell ya, sonny… Whether there's really a kingdom out there or not, ya ain't comin' back. If there ain't, its 'cause ya got lost an' died. If there is, it's 'cause they ain't lettin' ya go. An' if they kill ya or not, well… that's up to them." The barkeep told him.

Jim stared at the barkeep for a moment before his gaze dropped down to the bar and he eventually looked up again.

"Then I'll just make friends with 'em all!" Jim happily said and smiled.

The barkeep just laughed. "The crocodile man sure is a lot weirder than I expected. Ya do seem a lot better than the rumors imply though. I jus' hope fer yer sake they're willin' to make friends."

And so the tavern finally closed. Jim was the last patron to leave. Taking in everything he was told, he was still certain he wanted to investigate the jungle. He had to know the truth. He was an explorer after all, how could he not chase after the call of discovery. He didn't think he could cause too much trouble just by dropping in uninvited anyway.

Jim chose not to rest first. He considered his time at the tavern to be his little break anyway. Going out at night would mean less trouble and he could more than handle any wildlife that got in his way thanks to Karen. The small town was dead silent now so Jim wasted no time heading towards the northern edge of town where the jungle was.

It really was a jungle. It was filled with giant plants and trees so tall and thick that he couldn't see the night sky when he looked up. Of course that meant seeing his surroundings was pretty tough, especially when Jim only had one eye to work with. As usual, he relied on Karen letting out low growls when she knew something was on his blind side. His hearing was stronger thanks to his weaker vision, but if something was quiet enough, there would still be no way for Jim to know about it. That's where Karen's animal instincts came in to help him.

Jim eventually came across a plant he'd never seen before. Even in the darkness he could tell it was odd looking. He stopped and crouched down in front of the plant, slipping off his large backpack. Jim fumbled around inside it before pulling out his large journal. There were several pencils tied to it that hung off like accessories. The book itself was extremely thick and worn. Most of the pages were crooked and dozens of tabs poked out with small labels scribbled on them. Jim quietly flipped it open to the flora section and gently turned the old pages until he came to one that had a sketch on it of a plant similar to the one he was looking at. Comparing his sketch to the plant in front of him, they were definitely close, but the one in front of him had a few minor differences. The page he was looking at was labelled a Sarracenia. Despite minimal lighting, Jim took one of the pencils hanging off the journal and did his best to make a small doodle next to the main one to be sure he could have the new version listed.

While he was looking down, Karen let out a growl and Jim looked up. He simply froze and his eye widened as the plant appeared to be moving. It shifted just a little bit before crawling forward and revealing the base of itself, which looked like an ant. It looked up at Jim, and since he was so still, it simply turned around and crawled up a tree, disappearing into the leaves. Jim continued to stay there for a few moments longer, too taken aback by what he witnessed to feel comfortable getting up. Finally looking down, Jim made a quick sketch of the ant like body and wrote 'Sarraceniant' below it. He stared at the sketch a bit before placing the end of his pencil in the space between the drawing and the label. To finish it off, he wrote 'Predaplant' and was satisfied with leaving it at that. Closing his journal, he placed it back in his bag and stood up before putting the bag on his back.

"Well… if anything, I made that discovery." Jim quietly commented.

Feeling a little less safe in the jungle, Jim continued on. He kept going for long enough that he was certain the sun must have started rising. Even despite not being able to see the sky, there was just something about the jungle that seemed lighter and more lively. Jim began wondering if maybe he was in the wrong place. Perhaps there was a certain area in the jungle that could lead him to the kingdom. Or perhaps his exploration was only proof there was no kingdom. Since he had come so far already, he decided to keep going until he ended up on the other side of the jungle, wherever that may be.

As Jim trekked through even more of the jungle he felt like it started to become less dense. Looking up, he could finally see the sky. It definitely was getting lighter. He'd been walking almost all night and still he hadn't found anything except a strange plant, or… animal. He still wasn't sure exactly what it was. Jim stopped for a moment at the base of a tree and looked on ahead. It seemed like he was getting close to the end of the jungle. He finally made it through to the other side and yet he found nothing. He didn't know if it would be worth it to go back to town or continue on to wherever the next town was. He wasn't even sure if continuing to look for the kingdom would be a good idea.

Still, he stepped over a thick root and passed through the last few trees. The end of the jungle wasn't at all what he was expecting. There was a cliff, and past the cliff was just a giant fissure. Far past that was what looked like a wasteland. It really felt like Jim had reached more than just the end of the jungle. It was more like the end of the world. Glancing down, there were wooden posts shoved into the ground and what looked to be the remains of a bridge. It dropped off over the edge of the cliff. Jim wondered for a moment if what he was looking at was remains of the kingdom. It might have long since been wiped out to the point nothing remained and the rumors were simply the last lingering knowledge of the lost civilization.

Jim took a step closer to the edge of the cliff, stopping right at the drop off. Things felt so silent. It was almost unsettling. Then Jim heard something. It didn't seem like an animal and he was certain it wasn't coming from behind. Nor was it Karen. There really was nothing in front of him that could make a sound, so what was he hearing? It was so faint he couldn't tell, but if he had to guess it almost seemed like voices. Several of them. That shouldn't have been possible. Perhaps he was hearing the voices of the dead then. With all the strange things Jim knew existed in the world, it only took him a moment to really start considering that may have been the answer.

Karen picked up the sound of dirt cracking below her and Jim and let out a growl. Jim glanced over his shoulder at her, but didn't realize what she was trying to warn him about. The edge of the cliff under Jim's feet broke off and he had nothing left to hold him up. He let out a scream as he descended into the darkness of the pit below, but something wasn't right. He hit the ground hit a thud only a few seconds after initially falling. His face laid in the dirt and he let out a groan. He hurt a bit, but not too much. He thought a fall like that would surely kill him. It should have killed him. He couldn't even see the bottom and yet there he was, just a few seconds later right on the ground with minor bodily injury. He felt more like he slipped off the stairs or fell over a balcony. Karen wiggled in her harness and let out a growl that sounded more like a whine to Jim. She was clearly worried about him.

Rubbing the back of his head, Jim struggled a bit before getting on his hands and knees. His chest hurt from his rough landing, but he didn't feel like anything was actually broken. There was a rumble of noise around him and Jim looked up to stare at the pointy end of five spears. In front of him were three men and two women holding the spears being pointed at him. They wore tight black clothes under red robes that looped over their shoulders and stayed around them thanks to thin cloth wrapped around their waists. Each of them wore different kinds of gold jewelry ranging from headbands and earrings to necklaces and bracelets. Their sandals extended up their legs below their knees. Every one of them glared at Jim, which unsettled him.

"Did you come from outside?" One of the women questioned.

"...O-outside…?" Jim nervously repeated.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw a cliff face. Looking up a bit higher, he could see the edge he fell from, even where it broke off underneath him. It couldn't have been more than ten feet up. Nearby was also the broken rope bridge that hung down the side of the cliff. It was a couple feet away from touching the ground, but there was no way it could be used as a ladder.

"Answer me! Did you come from outside!?" The woman repeated, sounding angrier.

She inched her spear closer to Jim and he flinched, trying to back up just a bit.

"We are outside! I dunno what outside your talkin' about." Jim responded.

The five of them all shared looks with each other before two of the men nodded at one another and put their spears into some kind of loop attached to their waists. They walked forward and grabbed Jim by his arms, lifting him up and keeping a tight hold on him. Despite Karen wiggling in aggression, the two men paused for a moment to look at Jim with slight surprise on their faces.

"He's tall." One of the men noted.

"Indeed." The other agreed.

As Jim looked on either side of himself at the two men he realized one of them only came up to his shoulders and the other was about half a head shorter than him. That was pretty normal actually, since Jim was just naturally tall. Even despite that though, he didn't dare consider trying to free himself. Their grip on his arms was tight and the three others were still pointing their spears at him. He didn't have anywhere to go anyway. Behind him was a cliff and he felt he wouldn't be able to go very far considering he was still feeling the pain of his fall earlier.

The two men pushed Jim forward a bit as they started walking and he was forced to walk along with them. One of the women and the third man got behind them while the other woman walked in front to lead them. Clearly they were covering their bases in case Jim tried to make a break for it.

"Uh, s-so, gentlemen… mind lettin' me know where we're goin'?" Jim politely asked.

"Silence." One of them men holding onto him ordered.

Jim just groaned and remained quiet, not wanting to risk getting stabbed for trying to speak. As he walked, it finally dawned on Jim that the environment around him was rather green. There were trees and grass and even small plants. By a bush a small creature scampered away as the group walked by, but Jim almost thought it was the same thing he discovered in the jungle. A Predaplant Sarraceniant was what he labelled it. His surroundings were drastically different from the wasteland he saw on the other side of the cliff. Something must have happened when he fell. Perhaps he crossed through some portal or maybe he really did hit the bottom of the chasm and wherever he was now was some kind of afterlife. The latter probably couldn't explain why Karen was with him though. Since she was on his back, unless he also landed on his back she probably wouldn't have died from the fall, let alone ended up in the same afterlife as him considering she was a crocodile while he was a human. Well, unless it turned out everyone ended up in the same afterlife. Jim had to admit he didn't know what was on the other side of death.

Jim soon saw some kind of civilization across the grassy plains. It looked like an enormous stone building with a decent sized village in front. Over the horizon was a giant mountain to one side and what looked like woods as far as the eye could see on the other. It wasn't as grand as Jim imagined, but there was no doubt about it.

He found the hidden kingdom.

As the group escorted Jim towards the large building past the village, Jim realized they were taking him through a back way. He wouldn't get to see any of the village and no one living there would get a look at him. Although, he became confused when he wasn't even brought up to the entrance of the large building. He was brought to another, much smaller building nearby that he didn't notice initially.

There were several people walking around dressed similarly to the group that found Jim and also carrying spears, except some of them wore blue robes and blue berets on their heads instead of just red robes. Jim started to wonder if they were soldiers or guards or something like that. A large man was standing to the side that was tall enough to even tower over Jim. His black hair made one large spike that poked forward and his face had rather strong features. He wore a lightweight black coat under blue robes wrapped around him in the same way as the other people. He didn't wear any jewelry like them though, and instead of sandals he wore black boots with blue pants that Jim could tell weren't made from the same kind of material as the pants the folks back in town wore. Seeing the group, the man walked up to them and stopped in front of the woman at the front of the group.

"We found an outsider, General Cobra. What should we do with him?" The woman asked.

The man, Cobra, turned his attention to Jim and stared at the one-eyed man for a moment. The expression on his face intimidated Jim.

"Um, hello! The name's Jim Co-"

"Silence." Cobra interrupted Jim.

He immediately shut his mouth and stared at the ground, not wanting to get on the man's bad side more than he probably already was.

"He shall be presented to the King and Queen where they will decide what to do with him." Cobra told the woman.

Jim let out a quiet sigh. A king and queen sounded a bit better than leaving his fate in the hands of their general, but that was only if they were the merciful type. Without a word, Jim was roughly yanked away to what looked like a side entrance into the large building. The two in the back of the group stayed with Cobra as he walked somewhere else that Jim didn't know where.

"So… what's the king and queen like?" Jim asked as they walked down the stone hallway of the building.

"Silence, outsider." The woman in front ordered.

"Okay…" Jim quickly responded.

"You are… rather compliant." One of the men holding him noted.

"Uh, y-yeah, hehe… I just know when to shut my mouth is all." Jim responded.

"Don't be talking to him." The woman in front grumbled.

"He seems harmless enough, unlike the others." The man commented.

"And _that_ is how they get you. Always keep your guard up around outsiders." She replied.

"Uh, for the record I am pretty harmless actually. Well, other than apparently bein' accident prone…" Jim said.

The two men just stared at him while the woman sighed and Karen let out a growl.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Karen." Jim told him.

"What is this creature on your back?" The other man asked.

"Karen? She's a crocodile. Ya don't have crocs 'round here?" Jim answered.

"Stop talking with him." The woman ordered.

The group fell silent as Jim was escorted to the end of the hall. Large doors opened up in time for them to pass through and Jim saw General Cobra again, but this time he was talking to an old looking man with the two other people that left the group earlier standing behind him. Below them was a thick, beautifully woven rug that created a pathway from the front entrance of the room to the thrones on the other end. In the thrones were two people, a man in the left one and a woman in the right one.

The woman had short wavy black hair with a gold circlet around her head. She had on a red dress that looked similar to the red robes the people with Jim were wearing. It was sleeves and had a slit down the side below the waist. A black cloth was wrapped around her waist to keep the dress tight and a gold band on top of it to hold it all together. She wore gold bangles around her wrists and ankles with open-toed heels.

The man had straight black hair with the hair framing his face separated by gold beads and a gold band around his head just like the woman. Unlike her, he was dressed more humble with a simple black tank top and a red robe tied around his waist with the extra fabric hanging down one side. He wore red pants and black boots similar to Cobra with a gold necklace containing a red jewel and black fingerless gloves.

The three escorting Jim stopped in the center of the room and turned him to face the people in the thrones. Cobra looked from the old man to Jim and then spoke.

"This is the outsider, Your Majesties." Cobra told them.

Jim realized the people before him were the king and queen.

"Just one this time?" The queen asked.

"Yes, judging by the report it seems he came here by accident." Cobra answered.

"If it was an accident I can't imagine we have much to worry about." The king stated.

"I would agree, but you can't be too sure. If we let him go he could alert others to our existence." Cobra noted.

"Oh, I promise I wouldn't do that!" Jim swore.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Jim, suddenly making him feel uncomfortable.

"You will be silent in front of the royal family, outsider!" Cobra loudly demanded.

Jim tensed up and looked away, his gaze falling on the hallway he was escorted through earlier. His eye widened a bit though when it looked like someone was peeking around the corner of one of the large doors. They quickly hid though and Jim wasn't sure if what he saw was real or not.

"Oh General, it's quite alright." The queen assured him.

"They certainly don't have manners on the outside." Cobra grumbled, making Jim pout at him.

"If I may make a suggestion, Your Majesties." The old man began as he walked up to Jim. "We could hold a council meeting and decide that way what to do with him."

The old man stared at Jim, which unsettled him a bit. He had an extremely long beard and a bald head. Unlike everyone else Jim had seen so far, the old man was a much lighter complexion, even lighter than Jim, who was kind of tan himself. The old man wore a robe that was sort of between yellow and orange and had a necklace made up of large multi colored wooden balls. Jim felt like there was something familiar about the old man, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Perhaps he'd just seen so many different people throughout his travels that some of them started to look alike.

The king thought to himself for a moment before coming to a decision. "I do believe that would be a good solution. We will call the council together tomorrow morning. For the time being the outsider can be held in the dungeon."

"D-dungeon!? H-hold up, Your Majesty! Don't I get a chance to explain myself?" Jim frantically asked.

"You can get the opportunity during the council meeting, which you will be present for. It will be about you after all." The king advised.

Jim sighed. He still didn't want to go to the dungeon, but at least he would get a chance to tell his side soon. Without a word, Jim was yanked away back to the hall he came from. As they walked, Jim heard faint footsteps off to the side that didn't belong to anyone with him so he looked over. It seemed like someone was hiding behind one of the support pillars. They peeked out a bit, but Jim couldn't discern any features about them since they were too hidden and things far away had a tendency to look blurry to him. The people escorting him stopped in front of one of the many doors in the hall and opened it. Jim assumed it led to the dungeon as he was forced inside.

Back in the throne room, Cobra and the old man approached the king and queen.

"Why not do away with him right now?" Cobra inquired.

"Well, like you said, he likely came here by accident. It has happened before. Not everyone that crosses the barrier comes here to seek some kind of glory for themselves. Sometimes people just slip and fall and they really mean no harm." The queen said.

"Yes, but even despite his words you never know what may be a lie or not. He may have crossed the barrier on accident but he also might have been out there with the intent of finding us." The king added.

"Exactly! That's why a council meeting would be best! We can weigh the pros and cons much easier that way!" The old man cheerfully said.

"Your habit of settling things with discussions will fail you one day when an enemy decides to talk with the tip of their spear, shaman." Cobra noted.

"And one day you'll make far greater enemies by choosing the spear over words first, General." The shaman responded.

The queen looked off to the side for a moment to see another person in the room.

"Oh! Sweetie, hello. We didn't hear you come in. You were so quiet." The queen greeted.

The three men turned to see a much younger man standing in the throne room with them. His straight black hair was held back by metal clips on either side of his head, except for a few strands framing his face. It reached down to his shoulders and poofed up in the back. He wore an intricate gold necklace and a black tank top under a red robe that hung over one shoulder and was kept in place with a gold band. Unlike the other red robes, his had an intricate black and gold design on the edges. The extra length of it fully covered one of his legs down to the ankle. He had bandage like wrappings around his wrists and gold bands around his upper arms. There was one fingerless glove on his left hand and he wore tight black shorts with knee length sandals. On the band around his waist was an attachment that kept a spear in place partially behind. He couldn't hide the slightly concerned look in his golden eyes.

"Ah, Prince Austin." Cobra greeted with a bow.


	2. Chapter 2

Austin stood in silence before his parents, General Cobra, and the shaman for what felt like forever. He wanted to speak to his parents, but just his parents alone. Not with others around. He was just more comfortable that way.

"Austin, was there something you needed?" The king asked.

"Oh, uh… W-what's going on?" Austin finally spoke up.

His parents shared a look with each other. Cobra took a step towards Austin, but no one noticed the young man tense up.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Your Highness. Just let us adults handle it." Cobra advised.

Austin narrowed his eyes at the general. "I'm an adult too, you know. As the prince I should know what's going on in my own kingdom just as much as the rest of you."

The king stood up from his throne and approached his son, who relaxed a bit in his father's presence. He placed his hands on Austin's shoulders.

"You're exactly right Austin. You're twenty, you're not a child anymore. You should get more involved with the functions of the kingdom." The king said, the queen nodding in agreement. "So why don't you join us in the council meeting tomorrow? It would make for a good learning experience."

"I appreciate that, but it doesn't answer my question." Austin responded.

His father sighed while his mother and the shaman lightly laughed.

"There's a situation involving an outsider. It shouldn't be any issue though. He possibly came here on accident. We'll get it dealt with." The king explained.

Austin simply stared at his father. So the man he saw really was an outsider. He didn't quite know how to feel. Of course he was wary of the world outside the kingdom, but he'd never seen a real outsider before. The man didn't exactly look all that threatening, other than the creature he carried on his back. Austin would have liked to get a closer look at the man, but now that he was in the dungeon Austin wasn't sure if that would be possible.

"Austin, sweetie," His mother began. "why don't you enjoy the rest of the day like normal and worry about things tomorrow when you attend the meeting?"

Austin didn't respond.

"That is a good idea. Go, enjoy the rest of the daylight while it lasts." His father added and turned his son around to face the entrance of the throne room.

It was obvious to Austin that his parents were trying to get rid of him in the nicest way possible.

"Let me escort you out, Your Highness." Cobra offered.

Austin looked over his shoulder and glared at Cobra. "I can walk around my kingdom on my own. I don't need to be escorted everywhere."

Cobra simply scowled as Austin left by himself to the front entrance of the throne room. His parents looked a tad worried as they watched their son leave. Austin didn't get the exact answers he wanted and that just left him more curious than before. Exiting the throne room to find himself in the entrance hall, Austin kept going until he passed the doors of the castle. He looked up at the bright sky and felt impatient. He was supposed to wait until tomorrow for the council meeting, but that just seemed so far away. So much could happen in one day. Hearing footsteps fast approaching, Austin couldn't react quick enough as something hard whacked him in the back of the head and he yelped as he leaned forward and rubbed his hurt head.

"Don't run off so suddenly like that! If something happens to you while I'm not around I'll be the one in trouble!" Someone shouted at him.

Austin looked over to glare at whoever hit him, but upon realizing who it was, his expression changed to one of simple annoyance. The man before him was just slightly taller than Austin. His dark red hair spiked completely upwards and he wore glasses with gold studded earrings. He had a dark green robe wrapped loosely around his neck that hung down and cover most of his upper body, more so on his right side. He wore bandage like wrappings on his wrists with two gold bangles on each side. There was red wrapping around his waist that held his brown sleeveless coat in place with beige pants tucked into his brown boots. He was also holding a spear with the sharp end pointed down, so Austin was sure that was what he got hit with.

"Well it won't be with my parents so that's not really my problem." Austin plainly responded.

"E-exactly! My father would be all over me if I let the prince out of my sight! So you need to stop running off without me or else- Gah!"

The redhead was cut off my a woman behind him smacking him in the back of the head with her spear.

"I saw you hit the prince, Amon! What is wrong with you!? If someone saw that you'd be in serious trouble!" She scolded him.

"No one but you saw, Echo…" Amon grumbled as he held both hands against the back of his head.

The woman, Echo, simply groaned. On her head was a blue beret that covered her extremely short dark hair. She wore a black tank top under a blue robe that went over both her shoulders like suspenders and were held in place by a gold band around her waist. Below that the robe was wrapped around her waist and hung down to resemble a skirt with black tights underneath and sandals that reached her knees. Austin lightly chuckled at her and Amon, causing the two of them to look at their prince.

"Where did you go off to anyway? You seemed distracted and just ran off. It was like you disappeared." Amon wondered as he adjusted his glasses.

Austin thought for a moment on how to explain things to them. "I saw… someone strange being taken inside the castle, so I went to check it out. Keep this between us, I don't want to cause the people to panic, but an outsider was found and he's being held in the dungeon."

Both Amon and Echo's blue eyes widened at Austin's words.

"An outsider was brought here? And not killed on sight?" Echo questioned.

Austin nodded. "They say it might be an accident so the council will determine what to do with him tomorrow. I'll be allowed to join them this time too."

"Well whatever decision's made, he's not going to be allowed to just walk out." Amon commented.

Echo nodded in agreement. "If he isn't killed then he'll just be held in the dungeon until he dies."

"That's what I'm worried about. I know outsiders are dangerous and we have to stay hidden, but he really seemed harmless to me. I can't imagine that he could be a risk." Austin said.

"You're still too naive, Your Highness. Even if he were the nicest person in the world that doesn't mean he wouldn't reveal our existence. It would be a liability to simply let him go back." Echo rebuked.

Austin sighed, growing annoyed at being called naive. Sure, he didn't know what the outside world was like other than what he'd been told about it, but that didn't mean he was naive. He knew plenty of things after all. And he didn't think he was being overly trusting either. The whole situation just seemed a bit fishy to him was all. The council was never called together for the sake of deciding on what to do with an outsider. Well, except for one time many years ago.

The trio was distracted by a small animal suddenly jumping on Amon. He yelped and whatever the creature was jumped from his shoulder to his head.

"Rubyyy! Come back!" Someone shouted.

The creature hopped off Amon's head and jumped on Echo, who grabbed it by the tail and held it out at arm's length. Austin and Amon frantically backed up before realizing what it was. In Echo's grip was a purple cat-like creature with big ears and a long tail that had a red crystal ball at the end. It seemed to hiss at her as it wiggled around, trying to get free.

A man ran around the corner of the castle and quickly approached the trio. His fluffy greenish-blue hair bounced as he ran and there was a slightly panicked look in his green eyes. He wore a light purple shirt with a deep-v neckline and poofy sleeves that ruffled at the cuffs. There was blue wrapping around his waist that his shirt was tucked into and he wore high waisted black pants with brown boots.

"Ah, Ruby! There you are! I'm so sorry about her, Echo!" He apologized.

The man grabbed the cat and she squirmed around a bit before resting on his shoulders.

"What, I don't get an apology?" Amon muttered while fixing his hair and Echo snickered at him.

"Oh, Johan. Perfect timing." Austin greeted.

Johan turned to Austin and suddenly tensed up as if trying to appear very polite and proper.

"Ah, P-Prince Austin! I didn't see you there." Johan responded.

"How many times have I told you that you don't need to be so formal with me? We're friends." Austin said.

"I-I know, it just feels rude…" Johan mumbled and scratched Ruby on the head.

"Can't get those beasts to behave?" Echo assumed, watching Ruby purr at the contact.

Johan shook his head. "Never have, probably never will… Oh, what's going on actually? I heard some soldiers talking about something happening in the castle."

"There's an outsider. He's being held in the dungeon until the council decides what to do with him." Amon explained.

"O-outsider!? Here!? In the castle!?" Johan frantically repeated.

"Johan… you're an outsider." Austin bluntly stated.

"N-no! I may have been born out there but I was raised in the kingdom! This is my only home." Johan corrected him.

"Actually, I wanted to ask about that. Do you still not remember anything about the outside?" Austin inquired.

"Huh…? No, of course not. I was practically a baby. How could I remember anything? The outside is a terribly horrible place anyway! I wouldn't wanna remember any of it." Johan answered.

"It couldn't possibly be that bad, could it?" The prince wondered.

"Oh no, he's getting ideas." Amon commented.

"I am not… yet." Austin grumbled back.

"It really is that bad though! Who in their right mind would abandon a teeny tiny little kid?! The rest of the outside has gotta be just as bad!" Johan assured him.

Austin stared at Johan and crossed his arms while he thought. "But… if that were true, there would still have to be some good people, right? Just like there are some bad people in the kingdom."

"Uh… w-well, I suppose you have a point. B-but no one that tries to come here could possibly be good!" Johan responded.

"I'll have to take the prince's side on this one. You can't rule out that accidents really do happen." Amon added.

"I guess there's really no way to know unless we ask him." Austin blurted out.

"He really is getting ideas. I have to stop you right there, Your Highness. Don't you dare consider trying to talk to that outsider yourself. Just wait until the council meeting." Echo warned.

"Where a bunch of old men speak over each other and no one can really get a word in edgewise? Speaking to him one-on-one would make getting the truth much easier." Austin argued.

"Wait, but… he's in the dungeon, right? How would you even get a chance to talk to him anyway?" Johan nervously wondered.

"Could I not just go down there? I am the prince after all." Austin questioned.

"No. No! No, absolutely not! As your personal guardian if it got out that I let you do that I'd be in serious trouble." Amon protested.

"No one has to know." The prince argued.

"It's broad daylight. Guards will see you immediately. Hell, I know already." Echo stated.

Austin groaned. "Then don't say anything. That's an order."

Echo simply scowled at him.

"You could… always wait until night." Johan suggested.

"Johan, don't help him!" Amon scolded.

"Eep! S-sorry!" Johan frantically apologized.

"No, that's- that's- yeah… That's a good idea actually." Austin agreed.

"I simply cannot let that happen, Your Highness. He's an outsider. Even if he's locked in a cell, who knows what he's capable of." Echo argued.

"You guys have got to stop trying to protect me so much. Just because I'm royalty doesn't mean I'm still a little kid. I can handle myself." Austin complained.

"It's not about trying to protect you because you need to be protected. You could punch Johan hard enough to knock him out anyway." Amon said.

"Hey!" Johan whined.

"But it's our job. I'm your personal guard." The redhead continued. "If something happens to you I have to take responsibility whether I want to or not. I know your parents wouldn't blame me, but mine would. I already have enough on my shoulders thanks to them, I don't need you making things more difficult."

"And as a member of the Blue Berets, I have to put the royal family's safety above my own. Any injury that befalls you when I could have done something to stop it would make me a failure." Echo added.

"A-and you're my friend, Prince Austin! I care about you so I don't want anything bad happening to you!" Johan told him.

"Well, at least one of you actually genuinely cares." Austin commented, making Amon and Echo frown at him. "But I've made up my mind. The best way to really know what's going on is to speak to the outsider myself. I will need someone to keep watch for me though."

"Not it!" Johan and Echo quickly said in unison.

Amon frantically looked back and forth between the two of them before realizing all three of them were staring at him.

"This… is going to end badly…" Amon groaned.

And so, Austin formed his plan with a reluctant Amon. There was still plenty of time before nightfall, so the group returned to their daily routines. Johan brought Ruby back to the stables where she escaped from and Echo participated in a training session with a few other Blue Beret members. Austin spent most of his time in the castle library reading historical records while Amon was forced to stay in his company as the prince's personal guard so he chose to quietly remind Austin of how ridiculous his idea was. Eventually the prince and his guard parted ways as they returned to their families for the evening. Austin ate dinner with his parents, which was a far quieter event than usual, and finally headed up to his room where he stayed for the rest of the evening.

Austin sat on his bed and wondered if he should stay up or not. Getting some sleep would probably be best, but he didn't want to oversleep and miss his only opportunity to speak with the outsider in private. He sat up and moved to sit on the edge of his balcony, staring out at the view he had. He could clearly see the mountain far off in the distance.

"Is this a good idea, Lord Exodia?" Austin wondered aloud.

Obviously he got no kind of response, nor was he expecting one. He just needed to voice his own worries. He understood outsiders were dangerous, he just wanted to give the man from earlier the benefit of the doubt. He truly seemed harmless to Austin. Well, just based off what he saw of the man. Usually when he heard about outsiders coming in they would immediately become hostile, so they were taken care of on sight. This man was brought all the way to the castle and presented to his parents. He didn't fight back or appear to be a threat in any way. It was even agreed to call a council meeting about him. It was all just too strange to Austin. It didn't fit in with the norm.

A light knock on his door brought the prince from his thoughts and he got up, wondering how late it had gotten. He knew right away who it was, so he wasn't surprised when he opened the door to see Amon standing there. The redhead didn't look too happy to be up so late.

"You're lucky I'm here. I almost woke up my brother trying to leave my house." Amon grumbled.

"I'm sure Shido would be happy to lie for his big brother." Austin commented as he stepped out of his room and quietly closed the door behind him.

"That doesn't mean he should have to." Amon replied.

Without another word between them, Austin and Amon silently walked down the hall and descended the stairs. They peeked around corners and hid from guards that got close to discovering them. Once they reached the throne room they realized they would have to cross through the room with no way to hide themselves. Taking a quick look around, Amon speedily passed by first then motioned for Austin to do the same. Thankfully no one was guarding the door to the dungeon on the outside, but they couldn't be sure that there wasn't a guard inside. Being the prince's guardian, Amon slowly opened the door and checked first. It was so dark all he could see was the stairs that descended down. He assumed if anyone was stationed to keep guard then he would have to see a light down there.

"It seems clear so I take it you're good to go." Amon whispered, turning to Austin. "I'll stay up here and keep watch."

Austin nodded at him. "Thank you, Amon."

"Thank me after morning comes and neither of us are dead." Amon remarked.

Austin passed Amon and headed down the stairs of the dungeon. It was dark and he could barely see anything except for the steps right below him. He hit the bottom and kept a hand on the wall as he quietly stepped forward. The wall against his hand eventually cut off and Austin looked over to see bars of a cell. Looking in, it appeared empty, so he kept going. He glanced at each cell he passed for a moment to make sure it was empty before moving on.

Far down, in a cell on his right, it seemed like someone was inside. The three walls of the cell had wooden benches attached to them and nothing more. In the corner there was a man, obviously the outsider, leaning against the wall with his feet on the bench. The hat on his head was tilted down, concealing his face. Under the bench sat a giant backpack, and near that was a reptilian-like animal. Its eyes opened and Austin swore it looked like its yellow eyes were glowing in the dark. It let out a low growl, making Austin tense up and the man with it slightly lifted his head up. He turned his head to the side and squinted at Austin since it was harder for him than the prince to see anything.

"Is it mornin' already?" The man asked.

Austin hesitated. He was actually in front of the outsider. He suddenly became too nervous and wanted to leave. He really could just turn around and run up the stairs, but he couldn't let it come to that. He needed answers, so he needed to force the words out.

"...N-no. It's still night out." Austin muttered.

The man stood up and slowly approached the bars. Austin had to fight back the urge to step away. He stopped in front of Austin, only the bars of the cell keeping the two apart. Austin looked up, realizing how tall the outsider was. He definitely wasn't short, so it shocked him to know he only came up to a bit past the outsider's chin. The outsider stared at Austin, as if trying to study him, and Austin had to turn his head away.

"You're not one of those guards, are ya?" The outsider questioned.

Austin just shook his head.

"Well, ya came here for a reason, didn't ya?" He wondered.

Austin looked up at him. The expression on his face looked so relaxed, like he wasn't worried about anything. He was locked in a cell in the dungeon and yet it seemed like it was all just a normal day for him.

"I… am the prince. I wanted to ask you some questions before the council meeting… so I could get the truth straight from you." Austin explained.

"Ohh, the prince, huh? Well Princey, I'd love to clear up the confusion with someone that actually wants to hear me out. I'll tell ya whatever ya wanna know!" He happily responded.

Austin's eyes widened a bit. "P-Princey…? Uh, right then… First off, who are you?"

"Jim Cook! Some people know me as the crocodile man though. The lil' lady with me is Karen." Jim introduced himself.

The animal in the cell with him let out a growl at hearing her name. Austin glanced past Jim and at Karen, confused at his choice of words to describe her.

"Jim, why did you come here?" Austin questioned.

Jim adjusted his hat and thought for a moment, recalling everything he went through during the past two days.

"I'm an explorer, so when I heard the rumor 'bout the kingdom hidden in the jungle I couldn't just ignore it. I honestly didn't expect to find it, but… welp, here I am now!" Jim explained.

"The outside world already knows about us?" Austin responded, sounding worried.

"Huh? Nah, not really. Like I said, it's a rumor. Most people don't believe it's true anyway. In fact, everyone I talked to sounded certain I was gonna die." Jim replied.

"Most outsiders do." Austin stated.

Jim paused. "...Die?"

"Yes. You're the only one that I've ever known of to get presented before my parents. And not only that, the council is going to make a decision on what to do with you. That's never really happened before. Everyone else is simply killed." Austin clarified.

Jim went wide eyed. "H-hey, Princey. Y-you can tell 'em not to kill me, right? I really don't mean any harm. I don't wanna hurt anyone or take anything. I just wanted to know if the rumor was true."

Austin just stared at Jim for a bit. The look in his one blue eye definitely said he was worried for his own safety, but Austin couldn't be sure yet if his words were truly sincere.

"Why should I believe that?" Austin asked.

Jim hesitated before sighing. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The place was hidden after all, so I shoulda known that y'all wouldn't be welcomin' to tourists. Gah! Why do I always gotta be buttin' my head into places I shouldn't!?"

"Be quiet or someone might hear us." Austin warned.

Jim tensed up and put a hand over his mouth.

"Did you really not mean any harm?" Austin continued.

Jim shook his head before putting his hand down. "Again, I'm an explorer. I don't wanna hurt anything. I just like to see new places and discover things no one else has. I hate it when folks start diggin' up graves and removin' artifacts from where they belong. Killin' never before seen monsters like they're a trophy… I really, really despise it all."

Jim glared at the stone floor of the dungeon and gripped on his cell bars. Austin knew he was being genuine, he just had to be.

"Then… why come here?" Austin asked again.

Jim brought his gaze up to look at the prince. "I already told ya. I just wanted the truth. I wanted to see for myself if the rumor was true or not. I guess I didn't really think about what I'd do if it were true though. I just know I don't wanna cause any trouble. I love learnin' 'bout new places though. So if there's any deeper reason then, I guess, I wanna learn about your kingdom."

Jim flashed a smile at Austin and the prince couldn't help but stare at it.

"You… want to learn about us?" Austin repeated and Jim nodded his head. "But what purpose would there be in that? What could you possibly do with that information?"

"I just keep everything in my journal. I don't really share it with anyone so everything in there is sorta like its own lil' secret. Information on your kingdom would be safe in there, I promise! Uh, I can show ya if ya want! So ya can know it'll be fine!" Jim offered.

"You just said you don't share it with anyone though." Austin pointed out.

"I said I don't really share it. Not that I don't share it at all. Besides, it's filled with stuff from all over the world so it's gotta have a ton of things ya don't know about. How 'bout I show ya my journal and you tell me 'bout your kingdom! Knowledge for knowledge! That's fair, right?" Jim pressed further.

While Austin thought about the offer, Jim went ahead and grabbed his bag from under the bench. Austin had to admit he was curious about the outside world. Even despite all the warnings and rumors he'd heard, he still wanted to see it for himself. He wondered if the sky looked different on the outside. He didn't even know how big the world was. There could be so much out there for him to see.

Jim got his journal out and walked back to Austin, sitting down on the floor of the dungeon. Karen crawled up and rested against his leg. Austin hesitated for a moment before getting down to the floor as well. Apparently Jim had a lot to show him. The outsider opened the cover of his journal and flipped through the first couple of pages.

"Anything in particular ya wanna know about?" Jim asked, looking up at Austin.

Austin paused before answering. "What are some places on the outside?"

"Places? Oh, I know a good one!" Jim happily turned a couple pages to one of his earliest additions and turned his journal around to show Austin. "This is the Mausoleum of the Emperor. It's where a really, really old Emperor was buried. That was so long ago that there's no record of who he was anymore and it's been forgotten to time. It's uh… it's not standing anymore though…"

Austin looked at the drawing on the page best he could given the minimal lighting in the dungeon. There were stairs that led up to a fire with two statues and two pillars on either side. He had to admit the drawing looked like it was done by a kid, and not a very talented one.

"What happened to it?" Austin asked.

Jim tensed his shoulders up and looked away from Austin. "I, uh… Ugh, let's just say I'm accident prone."

"Is it your fault?" Austin questioned, causing Jim to flinched.

"I-I-I-I-... Gah! Ya lean on one stupid statue without knowin' it was loose and suddenly the whole world accuses you of sacrilege!" Jim complained, primarily to himself, but Austin could put the pieces together on his own.

"Why would you lean on a statue at a sacred location to begin with?" Austin wondered.

"I like to lean on things! I don't know!" Jim frantically shouted before sighing. "It was a stupid decision… I know that at least."

Austin couldn't help but chuckle a bit and Jim looked up at the prince. Getting laughed at was a little bothersome, but Jim was still glad Austin didn't seem to think he was a danger simply for one mistake, unlike everyone on the outside. Then again, most people believed he didn't do it on accident to begin with.

"Oh, what does your home look like?" Austin suddenly asked.

Jim stared at Austin and his grip on the page in his hand tightened, wrinkling the paper a bit.

"My… home… I don't actually have anything on it in here. I have some info on the continent I come from though." Jim responded as he began flipping pages.

"Continent?" Austin curiously repeated.

"Yeah. I'm from Australia. I guess ya could say it's like a really, really huge island down south. Got a lotta Karen's down there too." Jim explained and pat on Karen's back.

"What is Karen by the way? I've never seen a creature like that before." Austin wondered.

"Oh, right. It sounded like y'all don't have crocodiles 'round here. That's what she is, a crocodile. There's also alligators, and the two look kinda alike, but there's plenty of differences between 'em." Jim told him.

He flipped through more pages before stopping on one about crocodiles and showing it to Austin. The page was mainly full of doodles of Karen and a couple of them were surrounded by hearts. There were lists of foods off to the side, meant to remind Jim of what she liked and disliked in case he ever forgot. Austin glanced from the page to Karen and realized she must have meant a lot to Jim.

"Ya know, that reminds me! I found somethin' in the jungle and even saw it when I was bein' brought here. Ya probably know what it is." Jim blurted out and went back several pages.

He turned to the page about the Sarracenia and pointed at the Sarraceniant he drew to the side yesterday. He grew confused when Austin made a slightly disgusted face at the sight of it.

"Those things? They're really annoying. It's always a problem when they get inside. The stems poking off of them are good for trapping smaller bugs, but the problem is that they bite. Oh yeah, and they're poisonous." Austin explained.

Jim quickly grabbed a pencil hanging off the journal and began writing down what Austin told him. He then stopped and looked up as if waiting for something.

"...What?" Austin asked.

"Anything else on 'em?" Jim responded.

Austin flashed a confused expression at Jim. "You're… kind of like a researcher."

"I am? Huh, never really thought of myself that way. I don't really think so though. I don't do anything with what I learn, it all just stays right here. I'm more interested in seein' the world anyway." Jim replied.

"What made you decide to become an explorer?" Austin inquired.

Jim paused for a moment to choose his words carefully. "Hm, well… when ya have nowhere ya belong, ya just kinda end up havin' to go wherever ya can. That's basically how it got started. Then discoverin' new things made me realize travellin' could be pretty fun."

Austin just stared at Jim as it fell completely silent between the two men. So Jim didn't belong anywhere. That had to be why he seemed kind of eager to skip over talking about his home. Maybe he didn't have one at all. It reminded Austin of his friends and the fact that he was the only one who knew who his birth parents were. He couldn't begin to understand how that felt. To know the people that should raise you and love you, couldn't or didn't want to take care of you. To not know where you came from and having no real place to call home. At the very least it had to be a tough feeling to deal with.

Austin opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself when Karen started growling and Jim tensed up. It took Austin a couple seconds longer to pick up what they were hearing. The sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed throughout the dungeon and Austin stood up. There was nowhere he could go, the dungeon only had one entrance. Austin briefly considered if he could hide in Jim's cell, but he realized that was impossible since the cell was locked and he didn't know where the keys were held. He only hoped whoever it was turned out to be Amon, but he had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't going to be the case.

Jim closed his journal and set it down next to Karen before standing up. By the way she was growling he knew whoever was approaching wasn't someone that just wanted to talk like Austin. Even Austin himself looked on edge. Jim was sure Austin would likely be in trouble if the prince was caught talking to him.

Down the hall, emerging from the shadows was General Cobra. Austin realized he was carrying Amon over his shoulder, so that had to be why the redhead didn't give a warning. Cobra stopped in front of Austin, who felt a bit frozen, and glanced at Jim before looking back to the prince.

"Sorry, Your Highness. I started falling asleep and he caught me off guard." Amon apologize while looking over his shoulder, sounding both disappointed and slightly irritated.

"It's alright, Amon." Austin responded with a sigh.

"It's a shame to see the kingdom's own prince fraternizing with yet another outsider." Cobra commented.

Austin scowled at Cobra and Jim looked back and forth between the two men with a confused expression.

"What are you going to do? Tell my parents?" Austin questioned.

"I will do exactly that if you don't come along willingly. We can let this little incident slide under the rug as long as you comply." Cobra offered.

Austin glanced at Jim, who grabbed the bars of his cell, and let out a sigh. If he didn't listen to Cobra, the general would tell his parents and if they knew he spoke to Jim, they likely wouldn't allow him to join the council meeting for fear that his decision would be biased. Austin felt he wasn't in any position to try arguing against Cobra anyway.

"I'm sorry, Jim... I'll be at the council meeting tomorrow." Austin muttered before walking to Cobra's side.

"P-Princey!" Jim called out and rattled the cell bars.

Without another word the two walked off, leaving Jim and Karen alone in the dungeon. Jim frantically shook the bars again and kicked one of them out of frustration. He wanted out. He desperately wanted out. He was already intimidated by Cobra, and the prince definitely didn't seem to like the guy. He couldn't help but grow worried. Jim turned around and leaned against the bars, sliding down to the stone floor. Karen came up and rested her head on his leg.

"I didn't even get his name." Jim said.


End file.
